Location

USU Eccles Conference Center

Event Website

http://www.restoringthewest.org/

Streaming Media

Abstract

The Western Governor’s Association and 17 western states are developing an online web application or CHAT (crucial habitat assessment tool). When completed at the end of 2013, this application will aid energy, transportation and land use development as well as in prioritizing conservation, mitigation, and restoration plans for benefit of wildlife. The tool is intended to make individual state fish and wildlife information seamless across state boundaries while providing for individual state differences in data, management, and policy. The CHAT being developed by the 17 western states is using both a fine and coarse filter for determining crucial area categories at the 1 square mile scale; including empirical data on individual species and mapped habitats and modeled species distribution, habitat fragmentation, and landscape connectivity data layers. Crucial area categorization of a westwide, 1 square mile hexagonal grid will be accomplished in a data roll up of these filters using either an aggregate, hierarchical, or fuzzy sum approach. The WGA effort is funded by individual states, the U.S. Department of Energy and Transportation, USFWS Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, and conservation NGO’s such as the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Gregg Servheen, Wildlife Program Coordinator, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID, 83707, gregg.servheen@idfg.idaho.gov

Gregg Servheen is a wildlife program coordinator with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Boise, Idaho. He is responsible for habitat-related conservation, mitigation, acquisition, technical assistance and strategic planning within the agency. Gregg has worked for the Department more than 25 years in 6 different research and management positions across the state. He is a wildlife biologist by education through the University of Massachusetts and Texas A&M University. Gregg is past President of the Idaho Chapter of

the Wildlife Society, an active member of the Executive Committee of the Idaho Association of Land Trusts and University of Idaho Rangeland Center task force, was Chair of the 2006 Idaho Land Use Summit, and has received recognition for his work on behalf of wildlife from the BLM, the Idaho Wildlife Federation, and Federal Highways Administration.

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Oct 31st, 11:30 AM Oct 31st, 12:00 PM

Towards a West Wide Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool (CHAT)

USU Eccles Conference Center

The Western Governor’s Association and 17 western states are developing an online web application or CHAT (crucial habitat assessment tool). When completed at the end of 2013, this application will aid energy, transportation and land use development as well as in prioritizing conservation, mitigation, and restoration plans for benefit of wildlife. The tool is intended to make individual state fish and wildlife information seamless across state boundaries while providing for individual state differences in data, management, and policy. The CHAT being developed by the 17 western states is using both a fine and coarse filter for determining crucial area categories at the 1 square mile scale; including empirical data on individual species and mapped habitats and modeled species distribution, habitat fragmentation, and landscape connectivity data layers. Crucial area categorization of a westwide, 1 square mile hexagonal grid will be accomplished in a data roll up of these filters using either an aggregate, hierarchical, or fuzzy sum approach. The WGA effort is funded by individual states, the U.S. Department of Energy and Transportation, USFWS Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, and conservation NGO’s such as the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Gregg Servheen, Wildlife Program Coordinator, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID, 83707, gregg.servheen@idfg.idaho.gov

Gregg Servheen is a wildlife program coordinator with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Boise, Idaho. He is responsible for habitat-related conservation, mitigation, acquisition, technical assistance and strategic planning within the agency. Gregg has worked for the Department more than 25 years in 6 different research and management positions across the state. He is a wildlife biologist by education through the University of Massachusetts and Texas A&M University. Gregg is past President of the Idaho Chapter of

the Wildlife Society, an active member of the Executive Committee of the Idaho Association of Land Trusts and University of Idaho Rangeland Center task force, was Chair of the 2006 Idaho Land Use Summit, and has received recognition for his work on behalf of wildlife from the BLM, the Idaho Wildlife Federation, and Federal Highways Administration.

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/rtw/2012/october31/5